Device for transporting fuel from a reservoir to an internal combustion engine

ABSTRACT

A fuel delivery device having a collecting receptacle disposed inside a storage tank and from which a delivery unit aspirates fuel and delivers it to an engine. A jet pump which delivers the fuel from the storage tank into the collecting receptacle is disposed close to a bottom of the collecting receptacle and feeds fuel into it through an ascending line that extends up into the vicinity of the upper rim of the collecting receptacle. A separate component is disposed on the outside of a peripheral wall of the collecting receptacle. The outside of the peripheral wall and/or the side of the component oriented toward the peripheral wall has an open channel. The component is tightly connected to the peripheral wall to cover the open channel and to form the ascending line. The collecting receptacle and the component can be easily produced along with the open channel and the component can be attached to the collecting receptacle with a minimum of effort.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a 35 USC 371 of PCT/EP 01/13920 filed on Nov. 28,2001.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention is based on a device for delivering fuel from a storagetank to an internal combustion engine, the device including a collectingreceptacle in the storage tank and from which fuel is to be delivered isaspirated.

2. Description of the Prior Art

DE 42 19 516 A1 has disclosed a fuel delivery device having a collectingreceptacle, which is disposed inside the storage tank and from which adelivery unit aspirates fuel and delivers it to the internal combustionengine. The device also has a jet pump, which delivers fuel from thestorage tank into a collecting receptacle. The jet pump is disposedclose to a bottom of the collecting receptacle and delivers fuel intothe collecting receptacle through an ascending line that extends fromthe bottom of the collecting receptacle up into the vicinity of itsupper rim. The ascending line in this case is embodied of one piece withthe collecting receptacle, which complicates production of thecollecting receptacle and requires a complex mold. At the upper end ofthe ascending line, a deflecting device is provided, which conveys thefuel coming out of the ascending line into the collecting receptacle.This deflecting device cannot be embodied of one piece with thecollecting receptacle and must instead be connected to the collectingreceptacle as a separate part, which increases assembly costs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The device according to the invention has the advantage over the priorart that the ascending line is formed through the connection of theseparate component to the collecting receptacle; the two parts are easyto manufacture and can be produced with simple molds.

Advantageous embodiments and modifications of the device according tothe invention are disclosed. One modification assures that fuel comingout of the ascending line travels into the collecting receptacle; thedeflecting device according to another feature can easily be formed ontoand of one piece with the component. A further embodiment permits asimple fastening of the component to the collecting receptacle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An exemplary embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawings andwill be explained in detail in the subsequent description. In thedrawings:

FIG. 1 schematically depicts a device for delivering fuel from a storagetank to an internal combustion engine,

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged longitudinal section through a collectingreceptacle of the device, and

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a detail of the collectingreceptacle.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1 to 3 depict a device for delivering fuel from a storage tank 10to an internal combustion engine 12 of a motor vehicle. A cup-shapedcollecting receptacle 14 is disposed inside the storage tank 10 and hasa significantly smaller volume than the storage tank 10. The collectingreceptacle 14 has a bottom 16 and a peripheral wall 18. The collectingreceptacle 14 rests with its bottom 16 against the bottom 11 of thestorage tank 10. The collecting receptacle 14 can be embodied as open orclosed at the top. The collecting receptacle 14 contains a delivery unit20, which has an electrical drive motor and a pump part, and whichaspirates fuel from the collecting receptacle 14 and delivers it to theinternal combustion engine 12. In addition, a jet pump 22 is provided,which delivers fuel from the storage tank 10 into the collectingreceptacle 14. The jet pump 22 assures that there is a sufficient fuelvolume in the collecting receptacle 14 from which the delivery unit 20can aspirate, even when the level in the storage tank 10 is low.

The jet pump 22 is disposed close to the bottom 16 of the collectingreceptacle 14 and close to the bottom 11 of the storage tank 10. On theoutside of its peripheral wall 18, the collecting receptacle 14 has afor example approximately vertically extending channel 24 that is opentoward the outside. The cross section of the channel 24 can be embodiedapproximately in the form of a fraction of a circle, for example asemicircle. The cross section of the channel 24 increases considerablytoward its bottom end. The cross section of the channel 24 can alsogradually increase or remain constant as it extends toward the upperend. The channel 24 on the peripheral wall 18 produces an indentation 26on the inside of the collecting receptacle 14. The collecting receptacle14 can be comprised of plastic and can be manufactured by beinginjection molded in an injection mold. In this case, the open channel 24can be easily formed into the peripheral wall 18. Alternatively, thecollecting receptacle 14 can also be comprised of metal and can beproduced by being formed; here, too, the open channel 24 can be easilyformed during the manufacture of the collecting receptacle 14.

A separate component 30, which is disposed outside the collectingreceptacle 14, can be connected to it in such a way that the channel 24in the outside of the peripheral wall 18 is covered and a closed conduit32 is produced, which constitutes an ascending line. In its sideoriented toward the peripheral wall 18, the component 30 can also havean open channel 34, whose cross section is embodied to be at leastapproximately the same as that of the channel 24 in the peripheral wall18 of the collecting receptacle 14. The component 30 is tightlyconnected to the peripheral wall 18 of the collecting receptacle 14 sothat the closed ascending line 32 is formed, whose cross section iscircular, for example. The cross section of the channel 34, andtherefore the cross section of the entire ascending line 32, increasestoward the bottom and toward the top, as explained above in conjunctionwith the channel 24. It is also possible that no channel 34 is providedin the component 30 and that it only covers the channel 24 of theperipheral wall 18 to form the closed ascending line 32. In addition, itis also possible that only the channel 34 in the component 30 isprovided and that no channel is provided in the peripheral wall 18 ofthe collecting receptacle 14; when the two parts are connected to eachother, the peripheral wall 18 covers the channel 34 in the component 30to form the closed ascending line 32.

The component 30 is preferably comprised of the same material has acollecting receptacle 14, for example plastic or metal, and can beproduced by means of injection molding or forming. The component 30 canbe fastened to the peripheral wall 18 of the collecting receptacle 14,for example, by means of at least one detent connection 36. In thisinstance, a number of resilient detent arms 38 can be formed onto thecomponent 30 and can engage in detent fashion in corresponding detentengagement points 39 on the peripheral wall 18. The detent arms 38 canalso be provided on the peripheral wall 18 and the detent engagementpoints 39 can correspondingly be provided on the component 30. To befastened, the component 30 is simply placed vertically against theperipheral wall 18 from the outside in accordance with the arrow 40 inFIG. 3, and the detent arms 38 snap into place. Alternatively, weldingor gluing, for example, can also be used to tightly fasten the component30 to the peripheral wall 18 of the collecting receptacle 14.

A deflecting device 42, which conveys the fuel coming out of theascending line 32 into the collecting receptacle 14, can be disposed atthe upper end region of the component 30. The deflecting device 42 isembodied as a hood, which covers the mouth of the ascending line 32 inthe region disposed outside the collecting receptacle 14. The hood 42can be embodied in an inclined and/or curved fashion in order to deflectthe emerging fuel into the collecting receptacle 14 with the leastpossible flow resistance. The hood 42 can be formed onto and of onepiece with the component 30, which is easy to achieve by means ofinjection molding or forming.

To form the jet pump 22, a nozzle 44 is inserted into the lower,cross-sectionally enlarged region of the ascending line 32 and isconnected to a propulsion line 46. Between the nozzle 44 and the conduit32, an annular space 48 remains, which is connected to the storage tank10 and through which the fuel from the storage tank 10 is entrained bythe propulsive jet emerging from the nozzle 44 so that this entrainedfuel, together with the fuel coming out of the nozzle 44, travels intothe ascending line 32 and from there, into the collecting receptacle 14.

The collecting receptacle 14 does not have any opening leading to theoutside and in the event of a leak in connection of the component 30 tothe peripheral wall 18 of the collecting receptacle 14, the collectingreceptacle 14 can empty out. Therefore a separate sealing element is notrequired between the peripheral wall 18 of the collecting receptacle 14and the component 30.

The foregoing relates to preferred exemplary embodiments of theinvention, it being understood that other variants and embodimentsthereof are possible within the spirit and scope of the invention, thelatter being defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device for delivering fuel from a storage tankto an internal combustion engine, comprising a collecting receptacle(14) disposed inside the storage tank (10), a delivery unit (20) foraspirating fuel from the collecting receptacle and delivering it to theengine (12), a jet pump (22) in the storage tank which delivers fuelfrom the storage tank (10) into the collecting receptacle (14), the jetpump (22) being disposed close to a bottom (16) of the collectingreceptacle (14) and including an ascending line (32) that extends upinto the vicinity of the upper rim of the collecting receptacle (14) forfeeding fuel into the collecting receptacle, a separate component (30)disposed on the outside of a peripheral wall (18) of the collectingreceptacle (14), and an open channel (24; 34) defined by the outside ofthe peripheral wall (18) and/or the side of the component (30) orientedtoward the peripheral wall (18) the component (30) being tightlyconnected to the peripheral wall (18) to cover the open channel (24; 34)and to form the ascending line (32).
 2. The device according to claim 1,further comprising a deflecting device (42), which conveys the fuelcoming out of the ascending line (32) into the collecting receptacle(14), being disposed at the upper end region of the component (30). 3.The device according to claim 2, wherein the deflecting device (42) isembodied of one piece with the component (30).
 4. The device accordingto claim 1, wherein the component (30) is fastened to the peripheralwall (18) by means of at least one detent connection (36).
 5. The deviceaccording to claim 2, wherein the component (30) is fastened to theperipheral wall (18) by means of at least one detent connection (36). 6.The device according to claim 3, wherein the component (30) is fastenedto the peripheral wall (18) by means of at least one detent connection(36).
 7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the component (30) isfastened to the peripheral wall (18) by means of a welded connection ora glued connection.
 8. The device according to claim 2, wherein thecomponent (30) is fastened to the peripheral wall (18) by means of awelded connection or a glued connection.
 9. The device according toclaim 3, wherein the component (30) is fastened to the peripheral wall(18) by means of a welded connection or a glued connection.
 10. Thedevice according to claim 1, wherein the collecting receptacle (14) andthe component (30) are comprised of plastic and are produced by means ofinjection molding.
 11. The device according to claim 2, wherein thecollecting receptacle (14) and the component (30) are comprised ofplastic and are produced by means of injection molding.
 12. The deviceaccording to claim 3, wherein the collecting receptacle (14) and thecomponent (30) are comprised of plastic and are produced by means ofinjection molding.
 13. The device according to claim 4, wherein thecollecting receptacle (14) and the component (30) are comprised ofplastic and are produced by means of injection molding.
 14. The deviceaccording to claim 7, wherein the collecting receptacle (14) and thecomponent (30) are comprised of plastic and are produced by means ofinjection molding.